Friday, November 02, 2007

All Soul's Day

All Soul's Day - the 2nd of November is a day where you remember those that have passed on and you'll also find that there are special baked items made especially for today.

These are just two of these traditional items.

Pane dei Morti - Bread of the Dead

This is a speciality of Lombardia (Lombardy) and was purchased in Bellagio, which is in Lombardia.

This one used cocoa and was spiced with cinnamon - it also used a mix of sultans and pinenuts.

Fava dei Morti - Bean of the Dead, so named because they look like Fava beans. These were purchased here in Umbria and seem to be made with almond meal made from unskinned almonds to give them that slightly speckled appearance. Firm on the outside they had a pleasantly chewy texture.

Naturally enough, depending on the region or even the town, both these items will have variations on the ones shown here.

4 comments:

Ironically enough, concerning your "fava dei morti," there is a fatal allergy to Fava beans which is particularly prevalent in Mediterranean countries, and Italy in particular. So, Beans of Death they are, to the extent that even the pollen can be fatal.